Phoenix
Mother Nature’s a tough old girl, but she can be a little slow. Natural selection takes time, and with the insanity going on outside that’s time we don’t have. That’s where we come in. Life finds a way, but sometimes it needs a little helping hand. Phoenix are constantly growing new creations and hunting for new traits to splice into their products – and themselves. They’re a powerhouse at manufacturing surpluses, with their characters skimming off the best product. Traditions * Populace:' '''a carefully-managed bloodline * ''Style:' '''Sterile and analytical * ''Governance:' '''commune of innovators and eccentrics '''Landmarks' * Before: ''A plantation of heavily modified trees. * ''The Fall: ''Catacombs filled with failed genetic experiments. * ''A Threat: A splinter faction loyal to Roc Allies: * Camo Dogs Stats and Moves Moves *'Doctrine' - Sculpting a New Humanity. 'When your Family creates or tames a new species, they inherit one of its minor or cosmetic traits. *'Lifestyle - Settled. 'Your Family’s farms and facilities are extensive and can work on the creation of multiple new Surpluses simultaneously. *'Alliance move - 'When you freely give someone the perfect resource to solve a problem, gain 1-Treaty on them. *'Culture **''When your Family starts cultivating a new product'', erase Surplus: Progress, Land, or Barter Goods. After a few months, harvest the product: get the surplus back, plus: *** Progress. '''Get Surplus: Medicine and 1 use of medicine that can heal any harm box instantly. *** '''Land. '''Get Surplus: Crops and slow but steady population growth. At the end of the age, if you still have the surplus, gain Surplus: Recruits. *** '''Barter Goods. '''Get Surplus: Livestock and gain a few exemplary examples of the bred animals. If they’re used as mounts, add 1 free tag to them. At the start of each age, you can skip the months of cultivation and go straight to the harvest. * '''Domestication When an abnormal life form is brought back to your Family’s farm and reshaped to suit your needs'', choose one: * Archive one of its traits. From now on you can add that trait to the crops and animals created by Culture and have the drugs you create temporarily grant it to their users. * Corral a small breeding population of the organism. * Find a way for you to resist its abilities or avoid its dangers. Gear Your characters can always have a friendly pet of some kind. * Fighting method -Trained attack animals (ranged, many). * Defence method'' ''- Nearly pristine lab coats (regal, comms) * Travel method'' - Pedigree animals (mount, land) * '''Useful expertise '- Surgeons (1 Quality, Healing and dissecting). * Camo drug '''- Using what has been learned from the camo dogs, drugs are now available to make characters appear invisible, as nothing more than a shimmer for a few minutes '''Treaties History BEFORE THE FALL Phoenix were originally Biosurge's main scientists, looking into genetic splicing and improving the human race for a brave new world. Biosurge was fronted and managed by Lance Timpson who provided funding for worthy genetic experiments. This lead to the creation of new variants of human, foetuses spliced with DNA from fish and other aquatic animals to create a race of mermaids. Biosurge didn't stop there though and later created the first humanoid built by picking and choosing genetics, the first successful one was designated Experiment 246 and later employed by Biosurge under the new designation: Meekah. Prior to human experimentation, Biosurge experimented splicing animals, leading to the creation of new species, stronger and faster horses, attack animals comprised of the powerful hunting prowess of big cats and the obedience and socialisation of pack animals like wolves. The most ambitious and largest experiments were on kaijus, giants of creatures designed for use in emergencies, as either weapons or utilities to help in natural disasters. THE FALL Upon the city (Biosurge presents: Atlas) being bombed and attacked by hostile drones from Mercury Tech's airship, scientists scrambled to use their kaiju to try and diffuse the situation. However, the kaiju shrugged off the control systems and despite neutralising the immediate threat of the out of control airship by destroying it, it then went on an uncontrolled rampage through the city. Following this, the city had to be evacuated, and the remaining biosurge scientists fled. After fleeing, they regrouped, and vowed to continue their work with genetics but to fix the damage that had been done; humanity rising from the ashes, like a Phoenix. TRIALS * Your Family fell apart into feuding factions. The eventual victors are stronger, more unified, but lacking refinement. Gain +1 Grasp and Surplus: Leadership, but gain Need: Prestige. Shortly after the fall, the remaining Biosurge scientists grouped together, deciding that they woud indeed band together so their methods and technology wouldn't be lost. There were, however, disagreements on the direction that this new faction; Phoenix, should take, whether more biological weapons should be created and they should retreat to a safe zone and only aid themselves, or whether they should use their technology and resources to try help other factions and survivors in this now hospitable wasteland. Splinter factions emerged for a time with much infighting and political and literal backstabbing. After all the upheaval, the victor emerged; fronted by a charismatic leader; Roc. Phoenix's new direction would be to help humanity rise from the ashes as a whole, and try to adapt to and learn about this new landscape as much as possible. * Your Family saved the Homeland from some great threat, whether invading armies or natural disaster, but at great cost to themselves. Gain +1 Reach and Surplus: Morale, but take Need: Recruits. Once united under one consolidated banner, Phoenix set out to ensure that the kaiju was still roaming the city, and set about trapping it there, limiting its destruction to just that area. Using their latest technology, they managed to establish a connection to the neural network, using technology left behind in the city, and to also establish a psychic perimeter barrier that due to the neural coding, the kaiju would not be able to pass through. The operation was long and intensive, and cost the lives of nearly all the scientists sent on this mission. It was still regarded as a success and a step towards redemption. AGE 1 Dealing with the Camo Dogs The threat of the camo dogs in the forest bordering the Phoenix settlement was one that prevented most major trade, and so had to be dealt with before the family could do much else within the new establishing world. First, the team of scientists identified what they were dealing with; the animal in the forest that was attacking their patrols and trade caravans, as a mysterious almost invisible creature that was later revealed to be a highly intelligent canine that hunted in packs. Two specimens of Camo Dogs were brought back to be researched and supervised, and slowly, lead scientist on this project; Meeka, began to build up a rapport of trust with the two captured animals, studying them and in return bringing them gifts before deciding to tag them and return them to their own kind in the forest. Efforts were then made to build up their trust in their natural habitat, offerings of food in return for being able to watch and study them without being attacked. Roc in his impatience to be done dealing with the situation however sent in the faction's security including Jason and Maev on an expedition, during which Jason tackled a camo dog. The retaliation the pack took on the base was to kill mounts and sever many of the power supply to the base, triggering alarms and alerting Roc to the attack on the base. Subsequently, he made the decision to burn the entire forest in which the camo dogs resided in. Rebelling against Roc, Meekah would not let the camo dogs along with an entire ecosystem be burned down and so retaliated, disobeying orders. Eventually, Jason was given the order by Roc to detain them in their room, but Jason, supporting the cause, agreed to look the other way and give them time to escape and act before alerting the guards and Roc. Using the help of friends such as Jason, Meekah escaped and went about shutting down the power to the mortars which were going to be used to destroy the forest, along with recruiting Jessi, Saga and Carol de Silva to the cause. In an act of pure desperation, and hunted by members of their own faction Meekah, with a few followers worked to dismantle the operation, and after holding Roc hostage in his office, Roc shot Meekah, and Meekah's pack tore Roc apart. With the leader dead, the splinter rebels including Jason, Saga, Jessi, and Carol de Silva had to work to stabilise the situation in amongst the confusion, sweet talk any opposition and recover Meekah from the jail cell in which the guards had put them. Tensions rose as loyalties divided and frayed, however remarkably no one else was hurt, and eventually, the rest of the guards stood down. Meekah collapsed to the floor, and in a shocking encounter witnessed by the main operators of the coup, the camo dogs emerged from the forest and spoke, now seeming like they had allied themselves with Meekah. Having resolved the threat of the Camo Dogs to the faction, Meekah handed themselves into the authorities and agreed that they would accept all punishment given to them gladly and that this coup was not to seize power but to protect the forest and the life within it. After a long night, it was proposed that everyone should go have a cup of tea and that they would deal with it in the morning. In the weeks that followed, some of the people in the faction decided to splinter off and become a rebel threatening faction, that would become a threat to Phoenix; Roc's supporters working to rebuild themselves. The camo dogs seemed to develop speech quickly during this time, and are now no longer considered a threat to Phoenix. Attacks on the trading caravans stopped and secure trade routes through the forest away from camo dog territory have been established. Meekah became the leader of the faction after offering the leadership to anyone who wanted it... no one stepped forward, so begrudgingly they took on the role of their faction leader with the hope that they would make Phoenix a more tolerant and accepting place than their predecessor and father figure Roc had made it. ...More data to be uploaded... Important Characters in this Faction *Meekah *Lil *Maev *Saga *Jason *Jessi *Carol de Silva *Roc (deceased)